NFL Institutes Domestic Violence Policy After Widespread Criticism

After its discipline protocol was widely derided in recent weeks, the NFL appears to have listened.

On Thursday, the league announced a new protocol for punishing instances of domestic violence. First-time domestic violence offenders now face a mandatory six-game suspension, while second offenses will bring a lifetime ban.

Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a letter to NFL owners laying out a new set of rules in the wake of Ravens star Ray Rice's two-game suspension for hitting his fiancé and the subsequent public backlash against it.

The new policy is effective immediately and applies to all NFL employees — not just players.

"I didn't get it right," Goodell wrote in his letter, which was obtained by USA Today, alluding to Rice's recent two-game ban. "Simply put, we have to do better. And we will."

Until Thursday, the league had no set policy on how to punish acts of domestic violence. Drug offenses, meanwhile, were covered under the NFL's collective bargaining agreement, with harsh penalties for testing positive — even for recreational drugs.

That's why Browns star Josh Gordon was suspended for a year by the league after testing positive for marijuana — at least his second drug-test failure — and had his appeal of the ban rejected on Wednesday.

The NFL was roundly criticized by fans and media for the discrepancy between the respective suspensions of Rice and Gordon, criticism that snowballed into something of a PR debacle for the league.

Thursday's announcement — which could have helped defuse Wednesday's public indignation, had it been released before Gordon's appeal was rejected — certainly smells of damage control in some respects.

Under the new guidelines, first-time offenders could be subject to bans longer than six games if domestic violence incidents involve weapons, choking, repeated striking or acts committed against pregnant women or in the presence of children, according to Goodell's letter.

Second-time offenders who receive lifetime bans will be able to petition for reinstatement after a year, although "there will be no presumption or assurance that the petition will be granted."

There is, of course, much yet to be determined. For one thing, how will the league treat cases where a player is accused of domestic violence yet there is some plausible deniability? We'll see how the details work themselves out in practice, but Thursday's announcement represents an important step forward for the NFL — even if it's years overdue and appears to be at least partially brought about by PR concerns.

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